Bucket adaptor



Sept. 22, 1964 F. sMrrHEE 3,149,694

lBUCKET ADAPTOR Filed 9, 1962 5 sheets-sheet 1 A "sr `A #l r ,L

SePt- 22, 1964 F. L. sMl'rHEE 3,149,694

BUCKET ADAPTOR Filed Nov. 9, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet F. L. SMITHEE BUCKETADAPTOR Sept. 22, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Nov. 9, 1962 Sept,V 22, 1964F. l.. sMlTHEE 3,149,694

BUCKET ADAPTOR Filed Nov. 9, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 BUCKET ADAPTOR 5Sheets-Sheet, 5

Filed NOv- 9, 1962 United States Patent Ol ligwl Patented Sept. 22.,1964 ice 3,?l49,694 BUCKET ADAPTR Frederick Loyal Smithers, ,326 EmileySt., Elk Grove, Calif. Filed Nov. 9, i962, Ser. No. 236,567 l Claims.(Cl. 132-2) This invention relates to a bucket vadaptor and relates moreparticularly to a man-carrying utility bucket lift adaptable to atruck-mounted hydraulic boom.

t is conventional in many industries, particularly the utility industry,to provide a truck-mounted liftable boom for raising poles such astelephone poles to a vertical position extending high above the groundlevel. It is also well known in many industries to provide atruck-mounted man-carrying utity bucket liitable to any of a variety ofpositions for reaching distant objects such as telephone wires, trees or`the like. However, heretofore it has been necessary to provide separatevehicles for each or" these respective functions.

It is an object ofthe instant invention to provide a mancarrying utilitybucket lift which may be mounted as an accessory on a conventionalhydraulic boom without interfering with the use of the boom for itsordinary purposes.

Another Object of the instant invention is to provide such a devicewhich makes use of the hydraulic extension of the boom .itself foradditional lift.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a device of thetype described having means to raise or lower it vertically and to turnit in either direction horizontally to position the bucket in anydesired location.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an adaptableutility bucket lift wherein the pivotal mounting for the bucket adaptoris always maintained -in ya horizontal position regardless of theposition of the boom to facilitate positioning the bucket.

Another object of this invention is the provision of such a devicewherein all the elements which might come in contact with liveelectrical wires are insulated to protect the equipment and theoperator.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described which is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture,sturdy in construction and simple and eiiicient in operation.

Other and further objects reside in the combination of elements,arrangements of parts and features of construction.

Still other objects will in part be obvious and will in part beV pointedout as the description of the invention proceeds and as shown in theaccompanying drawings wherein there are disclosed preferred embodimentsof this inventive concept.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a side elevational View or" the device of the instantinvention secured to a truck-mounted boom, alternative positions ofadjustment being shown in dotted lines;

FGURE 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the boom and bucket linaccordance with the instant invention, partially broken away forillustrative convenience;

FlGURE 3 is a top plan view of a boom in transporting position as shownin dotted lines in FiG. l carrying the bucket adaptor of the instantinvention, with parts being broken away;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the boom and bucket as shown inFIG. 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary transverse cross-sectional view takensubstantially along line 5 5 of FlG. 4;

FIGURE 6 is a right end View of FG. 5 showing the bucket turned atninetydegrees in dotted lines;

FGURE 7 is a cross-Sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional View taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 5, withparts broken away;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged top plan view of a portion of the device of theinstant invention, partly in section and with parts broken away forillustrative convenience;

FGURE 10 is a side elevational view of the portion of the device shownin FIG. 9;

FIG. 1l is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along line ll-lilof FlG. 9; and

FlGURE 12 is a fragmentary detailed sectional View of por-tions of theconstruction shown in FIG. 9.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the severalviews of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to FIGURESl, 3 and 4, a conventional utility truck is shown generally at 10 havinga boom l2 pivotally mounted at ld on the roof thereof with a pair ofhydraulic cylinders lr6 having their piston rods i3 operativelyconnected on either side of the boom i2 to raise and lower the same inthe well known manner.

The man-carrying utility bucket adaptor of the inst-ant invention isindicated generally by reference numeral 20 and is aihxed to the upperextremity of the boom 12 by any conventional brackets such as 22 or thelike. A hydraulic line 24 provides motive power to a number of cylindersto be described further hereinafter and is connected to the same system(not shown) which operates the hydraulic cylinders ld of the boom 12.

The device of the instant invention is highly maneuverable and extremelyiiexible and is comprised of tive basic components, the base member 26,the pivot member 28, the swivel head Sil, the bucket support arm 32 andthe utility bucket 34E.

The base member 25 is generally a cylindrical element having a pluralityof flanges 35 secured to the brackets 22 for supporting the device ofthe instant invention on the boom 12. The outer diameter of the basemember 2d is slightly less than the distance between a pair ofoutstanding ears 36 forming a birfurcated end of the pivot member 28.Note particularly FIGURES 9 and l2. A pin 37 pivotally supports the basemember 26 within the ears 36 of the pivot member Z8.

A hydraulic cylinder 38 is pivotally supported at one end on the pivotmember 28 and has a piston rod 39 pivotally secured at the opposite endto a bifurcated ear 4t) iixed to the base member 2o. A Weighted pendulum4l actuates a hydraulic control valve 43 to operate the hydrauliccylinder 3S to maintain the pivot member 28 in a vertical position asshown in FIGS. l and 2 regardless of the position of the boom. Theconstruction of this element is conventional and will not be set forthin detail. The control valve 43 has a manual neutral or off position inthe form `of a lock (not shown) on the pendulum 4l in the centerposition. A luy-pass emergency control valve may also be located in thebucket 34 or in a convenience position on the truck l@ to override theactuation of the hydraulic control valve t3 by the pendulum 4l in themanner described hereinbefore. By maintaining the pivot member 28 in thevertical position shown, rotating the device of the inst-ant inventionand positioning of the bucket 3d by the operator is greatly facilitatedas will be clearly seen from the remainder of the disclosure.

The swivel head 3@ is formed in the shape of a right angle and has ahorizontal swivel f2-2 which is rotatably supported with respect to thepivot member 28. A hollow extension de of the horizontal swivel i2passes through holes deiined in pivot member 2S and has an outstandingiiange 45 fixed adjacent a threaded end 4S forming a race way with anelement Sil liXed to the pivot head 23 to support a plurality of thrustbearings 52. Ball bearings 54 aliases are also interposed between theswivel head 50 and the pivot member 23 to assist in relative rotation ofthe two elements. A washer, nut and lock nut S, 57 and 59 respectively,secure the swivel head Sil to the pivot member 28.

These elements are rotated relative to each other to swing the bucket 3dhorizontally relatively to the ground by means of the hydraulic cylinder56 and the steel cable 53. The hydraulic cylinder 56 and a pulley 6G arerotatably or oscillatably supported with respect to the base member 26by a pin or the like 62. A bracket ed is fixed to the pin 37 androtatably supports a plurality of aligning pulleys 66. An additionalpair of pulleys d8 are rotatably supported by brackets 745 in a positionadjacent horizontal swivel head 42. The steel cable 5S passes over thepulley 63, through the aligning pulleys 66 and over each of theadditional pulleys and is wound a plurality of times around thehorizontal swivel 42. The piston rod l2 of the hydraulic cylinder 56 hasa connector element lM interposed between the two ends of the steelcable 5%. When the piston rod '72 of the hydraulic cylinder Sd isextended, the steel cable 58 is pushed by the piston rod and thefrictional drag between t'ne steel cable 5S and the horizontal swivel 42causes relative rotation between the pivot member 2S and the swivel head3b.

It is to be noted that for illustrative convenience the bucket supportarm 32 has been shown relatively close to the base member 26 in FlGS. 3and 9, but that in order Jfor complete rotation about the horizontalswivel 42 to be effected, sufficient distance must be allowed betweenthese elements so that the bucket support arm 32 will not contact thebase member 26 or the pivot member 22S during rotation.

The swivel head Eil is connected to the bucket support arm 32 by ahollow pin 7e secured by a washer, nut and lock nut 7d, Si? and il?.respectively. The hydraulic line 24 passes through a tunnel S4 in theswivel head Sil and an opening do in the hollow pin 76 and extends outthrough the end of the pin 76 to return to the center of the steel arm83 forming part of the bucket support arm 32 through the opening 90.Note FIG. 9.

A vertical swivel 92 rotatably connects the swivel head 3@ and thebucket support arm 32 to allow the latter to be swung in almost acomplete circle about the pin 7o. A hydraulic cylinder 94 and a steelcable 96 cause the relative rotation of these parts in a manner similarto the rotation of the horizontal swivel 42. The steel cable 96 passesover a pulley 9S rotatably fixed to the steel arm $8 and a connectorelement llllll operatively secures the piston rod 162 of the hydrauliccylinder 94 to the steel cable 96. The hydraulic cylinder 91E- ispivotally secured to the steel arm S5 at lltll and the steel cable 96 isWrapped around the vertical swivel 92 several times to frictionallyengage the same. Extension of the piston rod lll2 of the hydrauliccylinder 94 will cause the frictional engagement of the steel cable 96to rotate the bucket support arm 32 relative to the swivel head Ell.

An insulated hood lille and extension ltl circumscribe the major portionof the steel arm 83 and the operating elements for the vertical swiveli2 to avoid any possible contact with live electrical Wires andsubsequent damage to the equipment. Any well known material such asliber glass or plastic may be useful for these elements.

At the top of the end of the extension ltl the bucket 34 is pivotallysecured by a pivot pin lill in such a manner that the center of gravitywill always lie below the pin and will retain the bucket 34 in avertical position as shown in FIGURnS l and 2. A control box i12 issecured to the swivel pin lll@ and the bucket 34 will have brackets lidto readily detach the same from the control box. The bucket 3d ispreferably .made of insulated material similar to the hood lille andextension Mld for the protection of the operator and may have aroughened looring such as indicated at 116 in FIGURE 6 to reduceslipping. A plurality of control levers 1118 may extend from the controlbox M2 within easy reach of the operator to facilitate his directing thebucket 34 to any position necessary for him to perform his job. Foursuch levers liti are shown as illustrative but any desired number mayobviously be included. lt is necessary to provide means to controlvertical movement of the boom l2 through the hydraulic cylinders i6,rotation of the horizontal swivel 42 by the hydraulic cylinder 56,rotation of the vertical swivel Si?. by the hydraulic cylinder 94 and abypass for manual control of the hydraulic cylinder 33 to rotate thepivot member 23 with respect to the base member 26 and override thehydraulic control valve 43.

lt is to be noted that a padded element 12b is provided on the roof ofthe truck lil to support the device of the instant invention when thesame is not in use as shown particularly in FlGURES 1 and 4. Anyadditional support rackets may be included if desired. Any conventionalmeans may be attached to the bucket 34 to maintain the same in thehorizontal. position shown in FIG- URES l, 3 and 4 when the truck l@ isbeing moved.

A duplicate set of controls will necessarily be included in someconvenient location within or on the truck lll so that the 'device ofthe instant invention may be operated from the ground.

From the foregoing description the use and operation of the device ofthe instant invention will now be apparent. The truck il@ may be drivento the general location where overhead wires require maintenance orwhere some other operation above the ground is necessary. When the trucklll is positioned the device of the instant invention may be raised fromits traveling position shown in dotted lines at i122 in FiG. l to itsmounting position shown in dotted lines at 1124 in FIG. l where thebucket 3d is near the ground and the rear of the truck lll for easymounting by an operator. Maneuvering of the dcvice to the position 124is accomplished by the aforementioned duplicate set of controls.

@nce the operator has gotten into the bucket 34 he may maneuver it bythe control levers ll to any desired Working position. By extending thehydraulic cylinders lo the boom l2 will be raised to the position shownin FlG. l which is the normal operating position of the device of theinstant invention and then by relative 0peration of the hydrauliccylinders 56 and 94 via the control levers llll the operator maymaneuver the bucket 34 both vertically and horizontally. The pivotmember 23 will always be maintained in its horizontal position shown inFIGURE l by the operation of the hydraulic cylinder 3S through the forceof gravity on the weighted pendulum il and the aforementioned hydrauliccontrol valve (not shown). lr the operator desires to override thegravity operated control valve he may do so.

It will be noted that the device of the instant invention may be quicklyand easily mounted on the ordinary boom l2 of the truck lill and will inno way interfere with normal operation of this boom for settingtelephone poles or the like. Through the use of the device of theinstant invention a single truck may be used to provide the function ofthe ordinary truck-mounted boom plus the function of the ordinarytruck-mounted man-carrying utility bucket.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there is herein provided adevice which accomplishes all of the objects of the instant inventionand others including many advantages of great practical utility andcommercial importance.

Since many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept and sincemany modiiications may be made in the embodiments hereinbefore shown anddescribed it is to be understood that all matter herein is to beinterpreted as merely illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

l claim:

l. ln a truck having a pivotally mounted boom and means to raise andlower said boom, a utility bucket havait/tassa ing a center of gravityand being adapted to carry a man, elongated supporting means having twoends and carrying said utility bucket at one end thereof, means todetachably secure the other end of said supporting means to said boom, ahorizontal swivel intermediate the ends ot' said supporting means forswiveling the said bucket in a horizontal plane, a vertical swivelintermediate the ends of said supporting means for swiveling said bucketin a vertical plane and means actuatable from said utility bucket tooperate said horizontal and vertical swivels, said elongated supportingmeans including a base member, a pivot member pivotally secured to saidbase member, a swivel head rotatably secured to said pivot member bysaid horizontal swivel, and a bucket support arm rotatably secured tosaid swivel head by said vertical swivel, said utility bucket beingpivotally mounted above its center of gravity on said bucket supportarm.

2. A ydevice in accordance with claim 1 wherein said elongatedsupporting means is electrically insulated throughout a major portion ofits length.

3. A device in accordance with claim l wherein said utility bucket isformed of an electrically insulating material.

4. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein a duplicate set of meansare provided in said truck to operate said horizontal and verticalswivels.

5. A device in accordance with claim 1 further including means tomaintain said pivot member in a vertical position regardless of theposition of said boom.

6; A device in accordance with claim 5 wherein said means to maintainsaid pivot member in said vertical position includes va hydrauliccylinder having two ends and being pivotally connected at one end tosaid pivot member and having a piston rod extending from its other end,said piston rod being pivotally secured to said base member, a hydrauliccontrol valve operatively connected to said cylinder, and a pivotallysupported weighted pendulum operatively connected to said hydrauliccontrol valve to actuate the same.

7. A device in accordance with claim wherein said means to actuate saidvertical swivel includes athydraulic cylinder having two ends and beingpivotally connected at one to said bucket support arm and having apiston rod extending from its other end, a pulley rotatably supported onsaid bucket support arm, a cable means having two ends, one end of saidcable means passing over said pulley and the other end of said cablemeans being Wrapped around said vertical swivel a plurality of times tofrictionally engage the same and a connector element securing both endsof said cable means to said piston rod.

8. A device in accordance with claim 5 wherein said means to actuatesaid horizontal swivel includes a hydraulic cylinder having two ends andbeing pivotally connected at one end to said base member and having apiston rod extending from its other end, a rst pulley rotatablysupported on said base member, a cable means having two ends, one end ofsaid cable means passing over said rst pulley and the other end of saidcable means being wrapped around said horizontal swivel a plurality oftimes to frictionally engage the same and a connector element securingboth ends of said cable means to said piston rod.

9. A device in accordance with claim 8 further including aligning meansto maintain said other end of said cable means in substantially parallelalignment as` it approaches and leaves said horizontal swivel regardlessof the relationship of said base member, pivot member and swivel head.

10. A device in accordance with claim 9 wherein said aligning meansincludes a bracket carrying two pairs of vertically spaced secondpulleys, said bracket being xed to said pivot member and a pair of thirdpulleys rotatably supported on said pivot member adjacent saidhorizontal swivel, said other end of said cable means passing betweenone pair of said second pulleys and over one of said third pulleysbefore being wrapped around said horizontal swivel and passing over theother of said third pulleys and between the other pair of said secondpulleys before being secured to said connector element.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,643,515 Harsch June 30, 1953 2,867,333 De Shano Ian. 6, 1959 2,998,861Hotchkiss Sept. 5, 1961 3,022,854 Eckels Feb. 27, 1962 3,043,394 HallJuly 10, 1962

1. IN A TRUCK HAVING A PIVOTALLY MOUNTED BOOM AND MEANS TO RAISE ANDLOWER SAID BOOM, A UTILITY BUCKET HAVING A CENTER OF GRAVITY AND BEINGADAPTED TO CARRY A MAN, ELONGATED SUPPORTING MEANS HAVING TWO ENDS ANDCARRYING SAID UTILITY BUCKET AT ONE END THEREOF, MEANS TO DETACHABLYSECURE THE OTHER END OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS TO SAID BOOM, A HORIZONTALSWIVEL INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SWIVELING THESAID BUCKET IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE, A VERTICAL SWIVEL INTERMEDIATE THEENDS OF SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR SWIVELING SAID BUCKET IN A VERTICALPLANE AND MEANS ACTUATABLE FROM SAID UTILITY BUCKET TO OPERATE SAIDHORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SWIVELS, SAID ELONGATED SUPPORTING MEANSINCLUDING A BASE MEMBER, A PIVOT MEMBER PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID BASEMEMBER, A SWIVEL HEAD ROTATABLY SECURED TO SAID PIVOT MEMBER BY SAIDHORIZONTAL SWIVEL, AND A BUCKET SUPPORT ARM ROTATABLY SECURED TO SAIDSWIVEL HEAD BY SAID VERTICAL SWIVEL, SAID UTILITY BUCKET BEING PIVOTALLYMOUNTED ABOVE ITS CENTER OF GRAVITY ON SAID BUCKET SUPPORT ARM.